Hacker!
by Paint Brush
Summary: Hermione goes online, and voila! A hacker's there. Don't mind me, I'm venting. PG for swearing.


A/N: This topic may seem a little strange, but this is me venting. It's based on a true story, and I twisted it around a bit, changing the characters. But basically, it's true.   
  
Disclaimer: Characters are JK Rowling's. I do not own them.  
  
Hacker!  
  
Hermione went on a computer, and logged on to her favorite message board online. When she got there, there was a topic saying, "Come here if your account was hacked into!" Hermione was shocked. Who would think that a person would hack into a message board based on a child's favorite book? She entered the topic, and found about 20 people had posted there, all in unregistered usernames or new names, with very few posts. One of her closest friends from the boards suspected a group of people who were always criticizing and putting down people. But, thought Hermione, Would they go to that extreme trouble and hack into everyone's passwords, spoiling everyone's, including their own, fun? Especially when one of these people is the sister of the administrator of the board? She pointed this out to her friends, and explained her thoughts, but he remained stubborn, and refused to believe a word of that. "I know it's true," he protested, "I know their plans. I've seen them. Remember? I used to be part of their little gang." Frantic, Hermione asked, "But would they really do this?" "Yes," came the short reply.  
  
The next day at Hogwarts, Hermione was in a sulky mood. When asked what was wrong by Harry and Ron, she explained to them, not missing a single detail. "And most of me friend's accounts were hacked into," she finished. "HEY!" cried Harry, "I go to that message board!" "What's your username?" asked Hermione, curious. "Err…I'd rather not tell, thanks. I've lied a lot about myself, and…it could be…embarrassing if you found out. You?" "Same goes for me!" replied Hermione, grinning, suddenly happy for a moment.  
  
That night, Hermione went online again and logged on to the message board. Again, there were people complaining about being hacked. Now there were about 30 something people hacked. Hermione tried every way possible to calm them down, but they wouldn't listen, and wouldn't calm.   
  
Her friend wasn't much better either. He was frantic. He had just been hacked as well, and the hacker had posted some obscene posts under his name. Obviously, her friend wanted his name back. Badly.   
  
No one was concentrating on the boards. They were all concentrating on the hacker, wondering what his/her next move would be, and what they may do, when they would stop. If they did stop. Some people asked where the administrator was, and rumors started flying. Maybe the administrator's been hacked into as well, and the hacker banned the administrator from the boards! Thought Hermione, suddenly afraid, angry and shocked, then scolded herself for thinking such thoughts. That won't happen, because she, (the administrator) would fix everything, and everything will just work out fine. The hacker/s will be banned from the boards until the end of time, and our message board will be back.  
  
Meanwhile, no one else was as positive as she. Every topic, there was a mention about the hacker. Almost every second post, there was someone complaining. So far the hacker was 'winning'. S/He had done their job. Mixed up the boards, frizzled peoples' minds, diverting the attention from the boards, the book, to themselves.  
  
Seeing Harry the next day, they discussed what would happen to the boards. Harry, too, was convinced that the hackers were that particular group of people, wanting all the attention and the whole boards to themselves. "No," said Hermione stubbornly, "They wouldn't do this. Because they are part of this board, they should be happy here, and they know that if they did hack into other peoples' accounts, they would be banned, and therefore would lose their own fun. Do you understand that? They wouldn't do this! A couple of their people were hacked! Why would they hack themselves?" Harry raised his eyebrows, and sighed. "I don't know why they would do this. I just had a feeling, and they seem like the type. How do you know they're not? Hey…" Harry raised his head, a thought popping in, "Are you part of that group? I mean, you seem so defensive of them, it's strange!" Seeing Hermione's eyes flash, he added, "Okay…I was only asking! No need to go all angry on me!"   
  
Lavender and Parvati, who also went to the boards, were also hacked. Lavender was angry, while Parvati was more afraid and scared than angry. "What would they do?" she wailed, "If I make up a new name, can't they just get into that one? I can't even go on anymore without feeling scared! And if they can get into this account, what else can they get into?" Hermione did her best to cheer her friends up, but it didn't work.  
  
Online, she found out the 'Hacker' had posted under an unregistered name, 'The Hacker'. Genius, thought Hermione. Reading the post, she felt happiness drying away. The Hacker had the boards and the people's passwords on 'ransom' and until everyone emailed the administrator asking the banning of two people, one her friend, s/he would keep the passwords 'ransom'. Hermione joined the crowd of people telling the Hacker off. "You're some sort of genius, aren't you?" she posted, "Go get a life. Do you really think we're going to ask the administrator to ban those people?" She then logged on to an instant messaging system, and looked for her friend. She found him, and they greeted each other, though both not in the mood. "This is shit," typed her friend, "Really, now I definitely know the hacker's are that band of people. They hate me. See? Now I've got evidence. I might as well leave anyway." Frustrated with her friend, Hermione replied sharply, if you could be 'sharp' online, "It can be shit, it can be whatever you say, but you are not leaving, Mister! You can leave anytime after this episode, but you are not leaving right now. If you do leave, you have given the hacker what he or she wants. At least half of what they want, anyway. But I am not taking this shit. You are not leaving. You are staying, at least until this is all over. You got that?" *Sighing*, her friend *laughed*. "Maybe you're right," he wrote, "I think you're right. Why should I give them the satisfaction of getting what they want? Hahahaha…" "Now that's better," approved Hermione. "Much better."  
  
Before lights out that night, she told Harry what her and her friend talked about. Harry decided he liked this fellow and wanted to chat to him. So the following night, Hermione, her friend, and Harry chatted to each other, via instant messaging, talking about the hacker, and what they might do next. Finally, the two convinced Hermione the hackers were that certain group of people.  
  
When she lay in bed, Hermione thought about the things she had done that couple of days. Finding out the board was hacked was a big shock, but now she was scared of being hacked into. Why wasn't she hacked into? Was it because the hackers didn't hate her? Or was it because the hackers couldn't find out her password? What was it? Why? The questions were endless, and it didn't help that she didn't have any answers, either. Breathing one last downcast sigh, she fell asleep, dreaming of the horrors that could happen to her and her account.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A couple of weeks later, the problem of the hackers had been fixed. No one knew who the hackers were, and why they gave up, but it took two people to realize that they could get into their usernames again and it started a wildfire. Now, instead of posts about hackers, people started to congratulate the administrator and what a fine job she had done, keeping the board together. And about the book as well. Posters had started getting back on track, posting about the books and its characters, rather than complain. Thinking about what she had done, how she had acted these couple of weeks made Hermione laugh. She, Harry and their friend laughed online about it, all night, talking about what they had dreamt, what they thought was going to happen, and what they thought were going to happen. "It was quite scary while it lasted," posted Hermione, "But now that we think about it, I think we acted quite foolishly. But…if the hackers were that group of people, well…they're not banned, are they? They could always do it again." "Hermione!" the two exclaimed, almost at the same time.  
  
So, that was the end. How did you like it? Tell me! J Oh, the hacking hasn't ended on my message board, I just had to finish it off in a nice way.   



End file.
